EP0914908A2 - Polierverfahren und Vorrichtung - Google Patents

Polierverfahren und Vorrichtung Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0914908A2
EP0914908A2 EP98309064A EP98309064A EP0914908A2 EP 0914908 A2 EP0914908 A2 EP 0914908A2 EP 98309064 A EP98309064 A EP 98309064A EP 98309064 A EP98309064 A EP 98309064A EP 0914908 A2 EP0914908 A2 EP 0914908A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
polishing pad
polishing
measuring
distances
pad
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP98309064A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0914908A3 (de
Inventor
Huey-Ming Tzeng
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Aplex Inc
Original Assignee
Aplex Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=25508975&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP0914908(A2) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Aplex Inc filed Critical Aplex Inc
Publication of EP0914908A2 publication Critical patent/EP0914908A2/de
Publication of EP0914908A3 publication Critical patent/EP0914908A3/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B49/00—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation
    • B24B49/02—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation according to the instantaneous size and required size of the workpiece acted upon, the measuring or gauging being continuous or intermittent
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
    • B24B37/005—Control means for lapping machines or devices
    • B24B37/013—Devices or means for detecting lapping completion
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
    • B24B37/005—Control means for lapping machines or devices
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
    • B24B37/04—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories designed for working plane surfaces
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B37/00—Lapping machines or devices; Accessories
    • B24B37/11—Lapping tools
    • B24B37/20—Lapping pads for working plane surfaces
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B49/00—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B24—GRINDING; POLISHING
    • B24B—MACHINES, DEVICES, OR PROCESSES FOR GRINDING OR POLISHING; DRESSING OR CONDITIONING OF ABRADING SURFACES; FEEDING OF GRINDING, POLISHING, OR LAPPING AGENTS
    • B24B49/00—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation
    • B24B49/12—Measuring or gauging equipment for controlling the feed movement of the grinding tool or work; Arrangements of indicating or measuring equipment, e.g. for indicating the start of the grinding operation involving optical means
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L22/00—Testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment; Reliability measurements, i.e. testing of parts without further processing to modify the parts as such; Structural arrangements therefor
    • H01L22/20—Sequence of activities consisting of a plurality of measurements, corrections, marking or sorting steps
    • H01L22/26—Acting in response to an ongoing measurement without interruption of processing, e.g. endpoint detection, in-situ thickness measurement
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
    • H01L2924/00—Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
    • H01L2924/0001—Technical content checked by a classifier
    • H01L2924/0002—Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a polishing apparatus and method, in particular for a semiconductor wafer processing and to systems and methods that measure wear on polishing pads used in chemical mechanical polishing.
  • CMP Chemical mechanical polishing
  • polishing pads must be regularly checked for wear and/or replaced. Detaching a pad to measure pad thickness is impractical because pads are typically attached with an adhesive that would tear and make the pad unusable. Optical measurement of an attached pad is possible, but a nonuniform distribution of water and slurry on the pad prevents optical interferometry as a viable technique for thickness measurements unless the system is stopped and the pads are cleaned and dried.
  • a concern in current CMP systems is proper scheduling of maintenance of the polishing pads. Due to the difficulties in accurately measuring polishing pads, a current practice is to replace pads after polishing a set number of wafers. However, the number of wafers that can be polished before pad replacement is required may vary because the properties of the pad material vary from lot to lot and different Wafers and polishing parameters cause pads to exhibit a wide range of wear rates. Replacing polishing pads too often increases down time for the CMP system and reduces the maximum yield of polished wafers. A CMP system is desired that minimizes down time for polishing pad maintenance but still avoids problems associated with worn out or unevenly worn polishing pads.
  • an in-situ sensor in a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) system measures polishing pads.
  • an analyzer or system controller in the CMP system determines from the in-situ sensor measurements whether polishing pads are worn out or unevenly worn and signals the systems user when pad maintenance is required. Polishing is only interrupted for maintenance when the CMP system requires pad replacement. Thus, down time for polishing pad maintenance is minimized.
  • the system controller can adjust operating parameters of the CMP system, such as pad conditioner, based on the measurements of the pads as required to improve system performance or cause the pads to wear more evenly.
  • One embodiment of the invention includes a non-contact sensor such as a laser sensor that directs an incident beam at a target area, senses a reflected beam, and determines a distance to a reflection point by triangulation of incident and reflected beams.
  • the target area for the sensor is ideally located where the polishing pad has a consistent position in each revolution.
  • the target area may overlie a roller or pulley on which a belt for the polishing pad rides.
  • Distances are measured to points in depressions and points on lands of the polishing pads as the depressions or lands move into the sensor's target area. As polishing pads wear, distances to the reflection points on lands increase, but distances to bottoms of depressions remain approximately constant.
  • the difference between an average distance to points on a land and an average distance to points in a depression indicates the thickness of the land.
  • a root means square variation of the distances to a land indicates the variation in the land thickness, i.e., the surface roughness.
  • the sensor measures points on the polishing pads that are along a measurement trajectory.
  • the measurement trajectory depends on movement of the sensor and the movement of the pads.
  • a component of the sensor's velocity is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the polishing pads.
  • a back and forth motion of the sensor creates a zigzag trajectory that crosses the polishing pad. If the frequency of the back and forth motion is an integer multiple of the frequency of revolution of the polishing pad, the sensor retraces the same trajectory after one or more revolutions of the polishing pad.
  • pad thickness or wear at the same set of points can be compared from one tracing of the trajectory to the next to identify wear.
  • a CMP tool is operated according to the measurements of the polishing pad.
  • operating parameters of the CMP tool can be adjusted to compensate for uneven wearing of the polishing pad. Such adjustments may also improve uniformity of polishing.
  • timing of polishing pad maintenance is selected according to current actual polishing pad thicknesses and profiles rather than according to statistical predictions which could be in error for a particular polishing pad.
  • One embodiment of the invention is a polishing tool including: a polishing pad movably mounted for revolution during polishing; a sensor mounted to measure distances to portions of the polishing pad that move into a target area of the sensor while the polishing pad revolves; and a controller coupled to the sensor, wherein the controller determines from the measured distances whether the polishing pad requires maintenance.
  • Fig. 1 shows a portion of a chemical mechanical polishing system that in accordance with an embodiment of the invention has an in-situ sensor for measuring a polishing pad.
  • Fig. 2 shows plots of the distance between a sensor and a pad surface along a path on a moving belt in the system of Fig. 1.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates measurements of polishing pad depressions and lands in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • Fig. 4 shows a flow diagram of data acquisition process for measurement of a polishing pad in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • a noncontacting, in-situ sensor measures distance to a surface of a moving polishing pad during chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
  • CMP chemical mechanical polishing
  • a system controller can determine when a polishing pad is unevenly worn or too thin and must be replaced. Additionally, during a CMP process, the controller can detect differences in the wearing at the different points and identify uneven wear that requires changes in the operating parameters such as the dwell time or the pressure of the conditioner. The changes in the operating parameters of the system can improve pad life and polishing performance.
  • Fig. 1 shows a portion of a CMP tool 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • CMP tool 100 includes a belt 130 carrying polishing pads, a wafer carrier head 160 that positions a wafer against the polishing pads, a support bearing 150 that supports belt 130 under wafer carrier head 160, a belt drive system including rollers 140 to move belt 130 and the polishing pads, and a sensor 110 mounted on a sensor drive system to measure a distance to the polishing pads.
  • the belt drive system rotates belt 130 so that the polishing pads slide past an exposed surface of a wafer mounted on wafer carrier head 160.
  • Support 150 and wafer carrier head 160 co-operate to keep the polishing pads parallel to and uniformly in contact with the surface of the wafer.
  • the mechanical action of the polishing pads and a chemical reaction of a reactant in a slurry or polish applied to the polishing pads combine to remove material from the wafer and polish or locally planarize the surface of the wafer.
  • the removal of material is preferential to the highest points on the surface of the wafer but otherwise uniform across the area of the wafer. Imperfections in the polishing pads or uneven pressure from support 150 and/or head 160 can make particular regions of the polishing pads more or less efficient at removing material from the wafer. For example, a spot in a polishing pad applied with a lower pressure to a wafer in wafer carrier head 160 would be expected to remove material more slowly than points applied at higher pressure.
  • a carrier head drive system (not shown) rotates wafer carrier head 160 and moves wafer carrier head 160 back and forth across belt 130. This lessens the effect of a polishing pad region having a different polishing rate by spreading the effect of the different polishing rate across a larger area of the wafer.
  • a controller 180 controls a drive system 120 which moves sensor 110 and processes measurements from sensor 110 during CMP operations.
  • Controller 180 may be, for example, a computer executing appropriate software or a special purpose processing circuit.
  • controller 180 is a personal computer with an interface card for control of drive system 120 and an interface card for data acquisition from sensor 110.
  • Controller 180 identifies uneven or excessive wear of the polishing pads from the acquired measurements of the polishing pads. If uneven wear is detected, controller 180 can change the operating parameters of CMP tool 100 in attempt to compensate. For example, the range of motion of wafer head 160 can be altered to increase the time during which the wafer remains in areas where pad wear is less.
  • controller 180 could adjust the configuration of support 150 or wafer head 160 to increase pressure in selected areas.
  • US Patent Application 08/964,774 and the aforementioned corresponding European Application describe a support having a controllable pressure profile.
  • the rotational velocity of belt 130 or the polishing time can also be changed.
  • Other control methods are possible and depend on the specifics of the CMP tool.
  • Sensor drive system 120 moves sensor 110 back and forth over positions where belt 130 and the polishing pads are reliably located from one revolution to the next.
  • sensor 110 can be positioned overlying positions where belt 130 rides in direct contact with roller 140 so that at any instant, the portion of belt 130 in the target area of sensor 110 is against roller 140 and extends toward sensor 110 a distance equal to the combined thickness of belt 130 and the polishing pads.
  • Sensor 110 measures the distance to the surface of the portion of the polishing pads currently in the target area. The measurements can be taken during polishing while the pads are moving or between polishing operations while the pads are stationary. Polishing pad thickness or wear is determined from comparisons of measurements as described further below. Generally speaking, as the polishing pads wear and decrease in thickness, sensor 110 measures larger average distances. The polishing pads can thus be identified as be worn out from an average distance measurement.
  • drive system 120 moves sensor 110 across the width of belt 130 perpendicular to direction of motion of belt 130.
  • sensor 110 can move along any desired path.
  • sensor 110 can move an angle with the direction of motion of belt 130 so that the motion of sensor 110 relative to belt 130 causes sensor 110 to cross the width of belt 130 and measure a polishing pad's profile perpendicular to the direction of motion.
  • the distance measurements correspond to portions of the polishing pads that are along a path 170 that depends on the movement of sensor 110 and belt 130.
  • Belt 130 can be stopped at any location to allow measurement ofa specific portion of the polishing pads.
  • movement of sensor 110 can be synchronized with the revolution of belt 130 so that sensor 110 periodically retraces the same path and repeats measurements of the same portions of the polishing pads during polishing.
  • the frequency of back and forth motion of sensor 110 is an integer multiple of the frequency of revolution of belt 130
  • sensor 110 retraces the same path 170 relative to belt 130 during each revolution of belt 130.
  • the frequency of back and forth motion of sensor 110 is a half integer or other fractional multiple of the frequency of revolution of belt 130
  • a complete tracing of path 170 requires two or more revolution of belt 130.
  • the measurement ofthe polishing pad thickness at a point on belt 130 during one revolution of belt 130 can be compared with measurements at the same point during subsequent revolutions, and polishing pad wear at a specific point can be tracked.
  • Fig. 2 illustrates plots 210 and 220 of measured distances D for points along path 170 during different revolutions of belt 130.
  • Plots 210 and 220 are plotted relative to a time index S that starts at a timing mark indicating a start for path 170.
  • the distance measurements in plots 210 and 220 are not constant because of variations in the thickness of the polishing pads along path 170, variation in the height of sensor 110 relative to roller 140 during back and forth motion, or other system imperfections. It is not critical that sensor 110 be positioned at a uniform distance fiom roller 140 during the entire range of motion of sensor 110 if wearing can be determined from the difference between plots for different revolutions.
  • Plot 220 corresponds to a revolution occurring after the revolution corresponding to plot 210, and the difference between plot 220 and plot 210 indicates an amount of polishing pad wear ⁇ t occurring between the two revolutions.
  • ⁇ t is nearly constant over the range of time index S indicating uniform wear at least for the portions of the polishing pads along path 170. If polishing pad wear were uneven, the difference between plots 210 to 220 would vary significantly over the range of time index S. Selecting the frequency of motion of sensor 110 so that many revolutions of belt 130 are required before sensor 110 returns to the start of path 170 increases the area of the polishing pad being measure and may improve the ability to detect small regions of uneven wear.
  • either the total amount of wear or actual thickness of the polishing pad is determined.
  • One way to determine the total amount of wear determines an initial plot of measured distances such as a plot 230 and saves the initial plot for comparison to subsequent plots such as plot 220 or 210. A difference between the initial plot and a subsequent plot indicates the accumulated pad wear from the initial use until the subsequent plot is measured. If the accumulated wear exceeds a threshold, the pad can be replaced.
  • an initial plot 230 can be determined without polishing pads in place. Using plot 230 as a base line, plots 210 and 220 indicate the thicknesses T1 and T2 of the polishing pads during revolutions corresponding to plots 210 and 220. If a pad becomes too thin, it is replaced.
  • Pad 310 includes depressions 314 that separated a high areas (lands 312). In a typical unworn polishing pad for a CMP tool, the distance from the top of a land 312 to the bottom of a depression 314 is typically about 0.015" to 0.025".
  • Pads are typically replaced when the lands wear down to about 0.0020" to 0.0015" or when accumulated wear has made the surface of the pad too uneven for the desired polishing precision.
  • Sensor 110 while moving across the width of a polishing pad measures distances to a series of about 5 to 10 points in each depression encountered and a larger series of points on each land of the polishing pad.
  • a controller when processing measurements from sensor 110 can identify a transition from a depression to a land or from a land to a depression by an abrupt change in the distance measurements. For example, Fig. 3 shows an abrupt decrease in distance measurement at a transition from a series of measurements 324 corresponding to a depression 314 to a series of measurements 322 corresponding to land 312. Measurements 324 can be averaged for the depression.
  • Such averages statistically provide a more accurate indication of the distance to depression 314 than would a single measurement. Additionally, an average value requires less memory when measurements are stored for later comparisons with measurements during subsequent revolutions of the pads. The average distance to a particular point in a particular depression should remain constant through out the polishing process since wear of the pad in the groove is low. However, the distance to a point in a depression may decrease if material accumulates in the depression. A prior measurement of the depression can identify whether a residue has built up. The difference between the subsequent distance to a depression to an initial distance to the depression indicates the amount of residue build up.
  • the controller determines an average distance to the land and a root mean square (RMS) variation.
  • the difference between the average distance to the land and the average distance for a neighboring depression indicates the thickness of the land.
  • the RMS variation quantifies the unevenness of the surface of the land.
  • the unevenness of the polishing surfaces as a whole is determined fiom the variations in the average distances to the pads and the RMS variations for each pad. Saving the average distance and RMS variation for each land greatly reduces the storage requirements of the system when such values are saved for comparisons with later measurements.
  • Sensor 110 is selected according to the operating conditions and the precision required in CMP tool 100.
  • sensor 110 is preferably a non-contact sensor that provides a standoff of about one to two inches from the pad and accurate measurements of distance to a polishing pad without significant loss of accuracy due to slurry on the polishing pad.
  • a sensitivity of about 10 ⁇ m or better is desired, and a spatial resolution of about 50 ⁇ m is needed to measure several points inside a depression in a polishing pad.
  • the response speed required depends on the component of the sensor's velocity perpendicular to the direction of motion of the belt. A response speed of about 1 kHz is typically sufficient.
  • Optical and non-optical sensors are available for these purposes.
  • sensor 110 is a laser sensor that directs a light beam at a target area, senses a reflected beam, and uses triangulation to determine the distance to a point of reflection.
  • a suitable optical sensor for this application is a LM10 microlaser sensor available from Aromat, Inc.
  • An alternative optical sensor employs a confocal technique that determines a distance to a point from the lens configuration when focused on the point.
  • Possible non-optical sensors include a hot wire sensor that determines distance to a surface from the effect that the surface has on heat conduction from a hot wire or resistor.
  • Fig. 4 illustrates a data acquisition and analysis process 400 for a CMP system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
  • an initial step 410 records information such as the date, time, and belt or pad identification to identify the CMP operation.
  • Process 400 then enters a processing loop including steps 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470, and 480 which are repeated until the CMP operation is complete or step 480 determines that the pad requires maintenance.
  • step 420 measures distances to points in a section of the polishing pad. The section is preferably relatively short to minimize the number of points processed at a time. A path crossing about three groves in the pad is a suitable section for processing during an interation of the processing loop.
  • Step 430 identifies and records a position for the measured section of the belt.
  • the section's position circumferentially around the belt can be identified from a time or angular revolution of belt since a last encountering of an index point on the belt
  • the position of sensor 110 identifies the section's position perpendicular to the direction of motion of the polishing pad.
  • Steps 440, 450, and 460 analyze the measurements.
  • Step 440 identifies series of measurements that correspond to grooves and series of measurements that correspond to lands in the section.
  • Step 450 determines an average distance and an RMS variation for each series identified.
  • Step 460 compares the average distances and RMS values to each other and to previously saved values for the same section of the polishing pad. Example comparisons include calculating a difference between average distance for a land and neighboring grooves to determine pad thickness at the land and determining variations in thickness across an area of the polishing pad.
  • Step 470 saves the determined averages and RMS variations with the identifying information for the section. If the polishing pad is not at the end of its life and not abnormally worn, the processing loop is repeated for the next section of the polishing pad. If the pad is worn out or abnormally worn, step 480 directs process 400 to a step 490 that displays the status of the polishing pad. A user of the CMP tool can then initiate maintenance of the polishing pad.
  • Run-to-run control processes and trend analysis can use the pad measurements saved over several different polishing operations to identify pad conditions that affect polishing uniformity or material removal rates.
  • statistical analysis of the pad measurements can establish upper and lower bounds for pad parameters in a properly functioning CMP system If those statistical bounds are exceeded, a user is alerted to the possibility that polishing performance is less than optimal. The user can then take corrective actions such as changing polishing parameters or replacing pad. Conversely, if polishing performance is less than optimal, comparisons of the pad measurements to the statistical bounds can indicate or eliminate the pad as a likely source of the problem.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Finish Polishing, Edge Sharpening, And Grinding By Specific Grinding Devices (AREA)
  • Constituent Portions Of Griding Lathes, Driving, Sensing And Control (AREA)
  • Mechanical Treatment Of Semiconductor (AREA)
  • Machine Tool Sensing Apparatuses (AREA)
EP98309064A 1997-11-05 1998-11-05 Polierverfahren und Vorrichtung Withdrawn EP0914908A3 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/964,772 US5934974A (en) 1997-11-05 1997-11-05 In-situ monitoring of polishing pad wear
US964772 1997-11-05

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0914908A2 true EP0914908A2 (de) 1999-05-12
EP0914908A3 EP0914908A3 (de) 2002-07-24

Family

ID=25508975

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP98309064A Withdrawn EP0914908A3 (de) 1997-11-05 1998-11-05 Polierverfahren und Vorrichtung

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US5934974A (de)
EP (1) EP0914908A3 (de)
JP (1) JPH11207572A (de)
KR (1) KR19990045021A (de)
TW (1) TW383251B (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002078905A1 (en) * 2001-03-29 2002-10-10 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for end point triggering with integrated steering

Families Citing this family (51)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6146248A (en) 1997-05-28 2000-11-14 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for in-situ end-point detection and optimization of a chemical-mechanical polishing process using a linear polisher
US6108091A (en) * 1997-05-28 2000-08-22 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for in-situ monitoring of thickness during chemical-mechanical polishing
US6068539A (en) 1998-03-10 2000-05-30 Lam Research Corporation Wafer polishing device with movable window
US6213845B1 (en) 1999-04-26 2001-04-10 Micron Technology, Inc. Apparatus for in-situ optical endpointing on web-format planarizing machines in mechanical or chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic-device substrate assemblies and methods for making and using same
US6196899B1 (en) 1999-06-21 2001-03-06 Micron Technology, Inc. Polishing apparatus
US6217412B1 (en) * 1999-08-11 2001-04-17 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Method for characterizing polish pad lots to eliminate or reduce tool requalification after changing a polishing pad
US6354910B1 (en) 2000-01-31 2002-03-12 Agere Systems Guardian Corp. Apparatus and method for in-situ measurement of polishing pad thickness loss
WO2001074532A1 (en) * 2000-03-30 2001-10-11 Memc Electronic Materials, S.P.A. Method of polishing wafers
US6616513B1 (en) * 2000-04-07 2003-09-09 Applied Materials, Inc. Grid relief in CMP polishing pad to accurately measure pad wear, pad profile and pad wear profile
US6612901B1 (en) 2000-06-07 2003-09-02 Micron Technology, Inc. Apparatus for in-situ optical endpointing of web-format planarizing machines in mechanical or chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic-device substrate assemblies
US6428386B1 (en) 2000-06-16 2002-08-06 Micron Technology, Inc. Planarizing pads, planarizing machines, and methods for mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic-device substrate assemblies
US6567718B1 (en) * 2000-07-28 2003-05-20 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Method and apparatus for monitoring consumable performance
US6447369B1 (en) 2000-08-30 2002-09-10 Micron Technology, Inc. Planarizing machines and alignment systems for mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarization of microelectronic substrates
US6609947B1 (en) 2000-08-30 2003-08-26 Micron Technology, Inc. Planarizing machines and control systems for mechanical and/or chemical-mechanical planarization of micro electronic substrates
KR20020052834A (ko) * 2000-12-26 2002-07-04 이구택 연마벨트 파단 감지장치
US6736952B2 (en) * 2001-02-12 2004-05-18 Speedfam-Ipec Corporation Method and apparatus for electrochemical planarization of a workpiece
US6785586B1 (en) * 2001-02-23 2004-08-31 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Method and apparatus for adaptively scheduling tool maintenance
US6966816B2 (en) * 2001-05-02 2005-11-22 Applied Materials, Inc. Integrated endpoint detection system with optical and eddy current monitoring
US6633379B2 (en) 2001-06-08 2003-10-14 Semiconductor 300 Gmbh & Co. Kg Apparatus and method for measuring the degradation of a tool
US7101799B2 (en) * 2001-06-19 2006-09-05 Applied Materials, Inc. Feedforward and feedback control for conditioning of chemical mechanical polishing pad
US6605159B2 (en) * 2001-08-30 2003-08-12 Micron Technology, Inc. Device and method for collecting and measuring chemical samples on pad surface in CMP
US6709314B2 (en) 2001-11-07 2004-03-23 Applied Materials Inc. Chemical mechanical polishing endpoinat detection
US6696005B2 (en) * 2002-05-13 2004-02-24 Strasbaugh Method for making a polishing pad with built-in optical sensor
US6702646B1 (en) * 2002-07-01 2004-03-09 Nevmet Corporation Method and apparatus for monitoring polishing plate condition
US7016790B2 (en) * 2002-10-23 2006-03-21 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. In-line hot-wire sensor for slurry monitoring
TWI238754B (en) * 2002-11-07 2005-09-01 Ebara Tech Inc Vertically adjustable chemical mechanical polishing head having a pivot mechanism and method for use thereof
US6752694B2 (en) 2002-11-08 2004-06-22 Motorola, Inc. Apparatus for and method of wafer grinding
US6951503B1 (en) * 2004-06-28 2005-10-04 Lam Research Corporation System and method for in-situ measuring and monitoring CMP polishing pad thickness
US7198546B2 (en) * 2004-06-29 2007-04-03 Lsi Logic Corporation Method to monitor pad wear in CMP processing
TWI275451B (en) * 2005-01-11 2007-03-11 Asia Ic Mic Process Inc Measurement of thickness profile and elastic modulus profile of polishing pad
JPWO2006106790A1 (ja) * 2005-04-01 2008-09-11 株式会社ニコン 研磨装置、この研磨装置を用いた半導体デバイス製造方法、及びこの半導体デバイス製造方法により製造された半導体デバイス
KR100630754B1 (ko) * 2005-07-15 2006-10-02 삼성전자주식회사 슬러리 유막 두께 변화량을 이용한 연마패드의 마모 및마찰 측정방법 및 장치
US7407433B2 (en) 2005-11-03 2008-08-05 Applied Materials, Inc. Pad characterization tool
JP2008305875A (ja) * 2007-06-06 2008-12-18 Renesas Technology Corp 半導体集積回路装置の製造方法
US8257142B2 (en) * 2008-04-15 2012-09-04 Rohm And Haas Electronic Materials Cmp Holdings, Inc. Chemical mechanical polishing method
US20090144958A1 (en) * 2007-12-07 2009-06-11 Robert Allan Ahti Method of manufacturing interchangeable tools
US8512096B2 (en) * 2007-12-07 2013-08-20 General Electric Company System for removing material from components
US20090181475A1 (en) * 2008-01-11 2009-07-16 Novellus Systems, Inc. Detecting the presence of a workpiece relative to a carrier head
US8192248B2 (en) * 2008-05-30 2012-06-05 Memc Electronic Materials, Inc. Semiconductor wafer polishing apparatus and method of polishing
TWI381904B (zh) * 2009-12-03 2013-01-11 Nat Univ Chung Cheng The method of detecting the grinding characteristics and service life of the polishing pad
KR101151651B1 (ko) 2011-02-14 2012-06-08 한국생산기술연구원 웨이퍼 세정장치의 브러쉬 교환시기 감시장치와 그것이 설치된 웨이퍼 세정장치
US20120270474A1 (en) * 2011-04-20 2012-10-25 Nanya Technology Corporation Polishing pad wear detecting apparatus
US20120270477A1 (en) * 2011-04-22 2012-10-25 Nangoy Roy C Measurement of pad thickness and control of conditioning
JP6066192B2 (ja) * 2013-03-12 2017-01-25 株式会社荏原製作所 研磨パッドの表面性状測定装置
JP6113552B2 (ja) * 2013-03-29 2017-04-12 株式会社荏原製作所 研磨装置及び摩耗検知方法
JP5967044B2 (ja) * 2013-09-19 2016-08-10 信越半導体株式会社 研磨パッドの評価方法及びウェーハの研磨方法
CN104511388B (zh) * 2014-12-29 2017-08-04 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司 光阻涂布设备及光阻涂布方法
KR20170115217A (ko) * 2016-04-06 2017-10-17 삼성전자주식회사 연마 패드 측정 장치 및 이를 이용한 화학적 기계적 연마 설비
KR102683416B1 (ko) * 2017-02-15 2024-07-23 삼성전자주식회사 화학 기계적 연마 장치
KR102583017B1 (ko) * 2018-09-13 2023-09-26 주식회사 케이씨텍 기판 처리 장치
CN115946042B (zh) * 2022-12-27 2024-05-03 西安奕斯伟材料科技股份有限公司 抛光装置及其工作方法

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3727350A (en) * 1971-11-16 1973-04-17 Sundstrand Engelberg Contour grinder
JPH0861949A (ja) * 1994-08-24 1996-03-08 Speedfam Co Ltd 定盤及び研磨パッドの表面形状測定装置
US5609718A (en) * 1995-09-29 1997-03-11 Micron Technology, Inc. Method and apparatus for measuring a change in the thickness of polishing pads used in chemical-mechanical planarization of semiconductor wafers
US5618447A (en) * 1996-02-13 1997-04-08 Micron Technology, Inc. Polishing pad counter meter and method for real-time control of the polishing rate in chemical-mechanical polishing of semiconductor wafers
EP0823309A1 (de) * 1996-08-09 1998-02-11 MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Regeln der Planheit von polierten Halbleiterscheiben

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5593344A (en) * 1994-10-11 1997-01-14 Ontrak Systems, Inc. Wafer polishing machine with fluid bearings and drive systems
US5791969A (en) * 1994-11-01 1998-08-11 Lund; Douglas E. System and method of automatically polishing semiconductor wafers
US5738562A (en) * 1996-01-24 1998-04-14 Micron Technology, Inc. Apparatus and method for planar end-point detection during chemical-mechanical polishing
US5762536A (en) * 1996-04-26 1998-06-09 Lam Research Corporation Sensors for a linear polisher

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3727350A (en) * 1971-11-16 1973-04-17 Sundstrand Engelberg Contour grinder
JPH0861949A (ja) * 1994-08-24 1996-03-08 Speedfam Co Ltd 定盤及び研磨パッドの表面形状測定装置
US5609718A (en) * 1995-09-29 1997-03-11 Micron Technology, Inc. Method and apparatus for measuring a change in the thickness of polishing pads used in chemical-mechanical planarization of semiconductor wafers
US5618447A (en) * 1996-02-13 1997-04-08 Micron Technology, Inc. Polishing pad counter meter and method for real-time control of the polishing rate in chemical-mechanical polishing of semiconductor wafers
EP0823309A1 (de) * 1996-08-09 1998-02-11 MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. Verfahren und Vorrichtung zum Regeln der Planheit von polierten Halbleiterscheiben

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 1996, no. 07, 31 July 1996 (1996-07-31) & JP 08 061949 A (SPEEDFAM CO LTD), 8 March 1996 (1996-03-08) *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2002078905A1 (en) * 2001-03-29 2002-10-10 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for end point triggering with integrated steering
US6612902B1 (en) 2001-03-29 2003-09-02 Lam Research Corporation Method and apparatus for end point triggering with integrated steering

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US5934974A (en) 1999-08-10
EP0914908A3 (de) 2002-07-24
TW383251B (en) 2000-03-01
JPH11207572A (ja) 1999-08-03
KR19990045021A (ko) 1999-06-25

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US5934974A (en) In-situ monitoring of polishing pad wear
US6238273B1 (en) Methods for predicting polishing parameters of polishing pads and methods and machines for planarizing microelectronic substrate assemblies in mechanical or chemical-mechanical planarization
US7070479B2 (en) Arrangement and method for conditioning a polishing pad
US8221193B2 (en) Closed loop control of pad profile based on metrology feedback
EP1073877B1 (de) Endpunktbestimmung beim chemisch, mechanischen polieren (cmp) durch bestimmung der höhe des substrathalters
US7011566B2 (en) Methods and systems for conditioning planarizing pads used in planarizing substrates
US20020098777A1 (en) Multizone carrier with process monitoring system for chemical-mechanical planarization tool
US6402589B1 (en) Wafer grinder and method of detecting grinding amount
WO2000026613A1 (en) Optical monitoring of radial ranges in chemical mechanical polishing a metal layer on a substrate
KR20240137714A (ko) 패드 컨디셔너 절삭률 모니터링
WO2019130757A1 (ja) ワークの両面研磨装置および両面研磨方法
US7988529B2 (en) Methods and tools for controlling the removal of material from microfeature workpieces
JP2013526058A (ja) 光学モニタ用基準スペクトルの自動生成
CN1224922A (zh) 抛光片磨损的在线监测
EP1017090A1 (de) Halbleiterscheibenpoliervorrichtung
JP2000117626A (ja) ウェーハ研磨装置及び研磨量検出方法
US7153182B1 (en) System and method for in situ characterization and maintenance of polishing pad smoothness in chemical mechanical polishing
US6995850B2 (en) Monitoring apparatus for polishing pad and method thereof
KR101655070B1 (ko) 화학 기계적 연마 장치 및 방법
KR20240001252A (ko) 워크의 양면 연마 장치 및 양면 연마 방법
KR20180055106A (ko) 화학 기계적 연마장치 및 그 제어방법
KR19990025212A (ko) 웨이퍼 연마 방법
GB2380960A (en) Wafer polishing apparatus

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A2

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI

PUAL Search report despatched

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009013

AK Designated contracting states

Kind code of ref document: A3

Designated state(s): AT BE CH CY DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Free format text: AL;LT;LV;MK;RO;SI

RIC1 Information provided on ipc code assigned before grant

Free format text: 7B 24B 37/04 A, 7B 24B 49/00 B, 7B 24B 49/12 B, 7H 01L 21/304 -

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20010531